Legends: A Novel of Dissimulation

It's a deadly dilemma for Martin Odum: both remembering and forgetting his past are dangerous options. A discharged CIA agent turned private detective, Odum is struggling through a labyrinth of memories from past identities, "legends", in CIA parlance. Is he really Martin Odum? Or is he Dante Pippen, IRA explosives specialist? Or Lincoln Dittmann, Civil War expert? Or another, hidden legend?

Littell writes incredibly complex story lines and this one even for him, is an enigma wrapped around half a dozen puzzles. I loved it from start to finish. There are multiple stories inside stories inside stories. Makes your brain itch. Great book!

Dreaming Spies

For years now, readers of the Russell Memoirs have wondered about the tantalizing mentions of Japan. Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes had spent three weeks there, between India (The Game) and San Francisco (Locked Rooms). The time has finally come, to tell that story. It is 1925, and Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes arrive home to find... a stone. A stone with a name, which they last saw in the Tokyo garden of the future emperor of Japan.

Would you consider the audio edition of Dreaming Spies to be better than the print version?

I've been a fan of this series for some years. I have read all but maybe one or two of these wonderful modern Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell novels. I have enjoyed every one of them and hope Ms. King never stops writing them.

The first of the series I read -- which is not the first book in the series -- was set in Jerusalem. I was actually searching for a different book which has (almost) the same name -- Oh! Jerusalem, by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins (another good one, worth your time).

I lived in Jerusalem for nine years. Reading the book delighted me with its descriptive richness and the accuracy of the geography. I've read a lot of books supposedly set in Jerusalem and this was the first one I felt captured it, not just physically but spiritually. I could smell the spices and see the sun on the stone.

dreaming spiesDreaming Spies is the latest in Laurie King's brilliant modern tales of Sherlock Holmes and his intrepid and scholarly wife, Mary Russell. While on a sea voyage to Japan -- intended as a vacation -- the journey transforms into a convoluted, multi-faceted hunt for a blackmailer, a priceless book, and a document that can save an empire.

As the intensity of the chase increases, Holmes and Mary form a peculiar alliance with a mysterious young Japanese woman. Twists and turns of plot abound. Nobody and nothing is who or what they seem to be. It's impossible to know who is the hound, and who the fox.

I have always wanted to visit Japan and now, I feel as if I have. I was originally planning to read it as text, but this has not been a good year for my reading print. I finally gave in and bought the audiobook. I'm glad I did. Jenny Sterlin, who has been the narrator on this entire series, is wonderful. As she always is. She will always be the voice of Mary Russell to me. The wife of Homes and the teller of this and all of Laurie King's Sherlock Holmes-Mary Russell books.

You don't have to read the books in order, though it certainly wouldn't hurt if you did. Each book in the series stands on its own.

Laurie King is an exceptionally literate writer. The elegance of her language is one of her most attractive qualities as an author. In many places, her prose is almost poetry, lyrical and as silky as a rose petal. I recommend the book and the series. If you like mysteries which you cannot predict, enjoy vivid descriptions of exotic climes, I think I can say without reservation you will like her novels.

If you always hoped Sherlock might meet a nice woman, get married, and get a life -- in these books he does exactly that. All of your favorite Holmes characters will drop by for visits. And he does it without losing any of his detecting edge. He is still Sherlock Holmes ... but more human and definitely more humorous than he used to be in the old days.

Dreaming Spies is a great read. Every book in the series is a good reads. Absorbing, exciting, unpredictable. Beautifully written. Summer is coming. Take a few with you on your next vacation. Print or audio, you won't be disappointed.

A Symphony of Echoes: The Chronicles of St Mary's, Book 2

Book Two in the madcap time-travel series based at the St Mary's Institute of Historical Research that seems to be everyone's cup of tea. In the second book in the Chronicles of St Mary's series, Max and the team visit Victorian London in search of Jack the Ripper, witness the murder of Archbishop Thomas A Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, and discover that dodos make a grockling noise when eating cucumber sandwiches.

I'm sure I will. I'm going to read the whole series again, after I read the next two volumes.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mrs. Partridge, aka History (Goddess of). She's one of those Deus ex machina characters that always shows up at the right time and does what you want her to do.

What does Zara Ramm bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I haven't read the books in print, but I can't imagine anyone doing a better job with the narration.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Too many moments to pick one. The characters are even more interesting (and complicated) in this book than in the first one.

Any additional comments?

I love science fiction and particularly love time travel. This series is the best sci fi of this genre I have read in years and I read it all. Witty, sharp, laugh-out-loud funny. Great characters, wonderful concepts, well-executed.

Just One Damned Thing After Another: The Chronicles of St Mary's, Book 1

Behind the seemingly innocuous façade of St Mary's, a different kind of historical research is taking place. They don't do 'time-travel' - they 'investigate major historical events in contemporary time'. Maintaining the appearance of harmless eccentrics is not always within their power - especially given their propensity for causing loud explosions when things get too quiet. Meet the disaster-magnets of St Mary's Institute of Historical Research as they ricochet around History.

Absolutely. It's a great story, well written. Witty, funny and it's time travel. The narrator does an excellent job, so what's not to like?

Who was your favorite character and why?

Maxwell, the main character is a hoot. She's got her issues, but she's tough and creative, loyal and brave.

What does Zara Ramm bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I don't know having not read it in print.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes and it cost me two nights of sleep. Now I want to read the rest of the series. This is the best audiobook of its genre I've read in quite a while. It is funny without being slapstick. Witty, charming ... and it is time travel, which is probably my favorite sub genre of all the Sci Fi genres.

Double Dip: A Davis Way Crime Caper

It’s Davis Way’s first slot-tournament season. And it may be her last. Things are dicey at work. A personal assistant goes missing, a little old lady goes on a suspicious winning streak, and a Bellissimo executive goes gaga for Davis. She follows a disappearing slot-tournament player trail to the So Help Me God Pentecostal Church in Beehive, Alabama, then jumps headlong into a high stakes holy scandal. She’s on a losing streak at home, too. Her days, nights, and dinners run together, as Davis juggles a revolving door of uninvited guests, namely her rotten ex-ex-husband, Eddie Crawford.

I love Gretchen Archer's books ... both of them, to date. I read the book a couple of times before listening to it. Whoever narrated her first book was horrendous. This narrator was much better, but still not as good as the book deserves. It's hard for me to put my finger on what isn't right about it. A lack of snap? Inability to convey humor? The voice was fine, the accent Southern without being intrusive.

It just wasn't as good a listening experience as it was a reading experience ... and that's rare for me. I generally prefer audio these days. Oh well. Maybe next book?

The Undead Pool: The Hollows, Book 12

Witch and day-walking demon Rachel Morgan knows magic - earth, ley line, even the forbidden demon magic - and that knowledge has saved her life more than once. But now something - or someone - is attacking Cincinnati and the Hollows, causing spells to backfire or go horribly wrong while living vampires attack humans and Inderlanders alike. The pressures build when the city is quarantined to contain the unreliable magic, and Rachel must stop the attacks before the undead vampire masters who keep the rest of the undead under control are lost and it becomes all-out supernatural war.

If, as I have, you've been following this series from the beginning, this book has been a long time coming. Rachel Morgan has come an enormous distance -- professionally and personally -- since she first decided to leave the I.S. and become an independent runner. She has transformed from witch to day-walking demon and repeatedly saved the world.

Not that the world has been particularly grateful. She keep pulling the world's bacon out of the fire and they keep whacking her over the head. A simple thank you would do!

Ivy has moved on to a genuine relationship -- fragile but real -- with Nina. Jenks has (apparently) finally recovered from the death of his wife, Matalina. Bis, the baby gargoyle, isn't such a baby any longer. He's coming into his own and may just live up to the name he bears amongst gargoyles -- Worldbreaker.

Then there's Trent. Rachel and Trent have been dancing around each other through a lot of pages. Approach, back off, sashay left and do-si-do. Finally all the waiting pays off and we get some long hoped-for romance.

This is a deeply satisfying book on many levels. Kim Harrison not only gives us what we've waited for, but she does it so deliciously. The characters -- even background characters like Trent's irritating fiancé Ellasbeth -- are fully fleshed out. Great characters who have been MIA for a while, such as David and his were-pack, are back and ready to mix it up. Hail, hail! The gang is here!

Will Rachel save the world again? You bet.

A quick summary: Living vampires are rebelling. Their undead masters are asleep, apparently unable to waken. The world is being overwhelmed by wild magic Elven magic and Rachel is at the center of the maelström. There's no question she has been chosen by the Goddess. Why? For what exactly? Where does Newt fit in?

Although not every question is answered in this next-to-last book in The Hollows series, it answer a great many of them. Things you've been waiting for through eleven books finally happen in this, the twelfth volume. It is about time and was absolutely worth waiting for.

There's a lot of exposition in the first half of the book. Action explodes in the second half. The momentum picks up to such an extent I found myself backtracking and rereading to make sure I didn't miss a critical event or piece of information.

I have loved every book in this series and it was inevitable I would love this, too. Unlike many long running series, there's nothing tired about this book. It's as fresh, exciting and rich as it was in the beginning and in many ways, more so. I'm going to read it again. And probably, again after that.

Do not -- please -- read this if you haven't read the rest of the series. You need the background of the characters not to mention a lot of development of relationships. And history. If you haven't read the series, read it. It has been my favorite series for all the years I've been following it and has never disappointed me. It won't disappoint you, either.

As usual, Margeurite Gavin does a perfect job with the narration and if you liked earlier, book you'll love this one -- maybe even more.

Agent to the Stars

The space-faring Yherajk have come to Earth to meet us and to begin humanity's first interstellar friendship. There's just one problem: They're hideously ugly and they smell like rotting fish. So getting humanity's trust is a challenge. The Yherajk need someone who can help them close the deal. Enter Thomas Stein, who knows something about closing deals. He's one of Hollywood's hottest young agents.

I loved this one. I really loved. It was funny, clever, witty. The people were oddly believable even in a story that was totally wacky. It stands out as one of the best science fictions books of my last decade and one of my favorite ever sci fi audiobooks. One of the mast interesting things about Scalzi is his ability to write well in a wide variety of styles. He can be serious, funny, a mix of both. He can be wild and crazy and highly technical ... and he makes it work. No one in the genre today works harder or produces more. This was the first of his books I ever read, but it hooked me like a fish on a line. Read it. If you like sci fi or just appreciate well-written and witty stories, this one will not disappoint you.

Song of the Beast

Brutal imprisonment has broken Aidan McAllister. His music is destroyed, and with it the visions he once gave a kingdom ravaged by dragon war. Now, he risks his hard-bought freedom to uncover the truth behind his incarceration - and to meet his enemy face-to-face....

After years of waiting, the book finally came available as an Audiobook. Since I already have the book on Kindle (and as a hard copy), Audible.com let me buy the audiobook for just $4.59, a bargain I was delighted to snatch. A steal!

After being terribly disappointed in the recording of Kevin Hearne's Hunted (disappointed enough to ask for my money back), I was delighted this book was every bit as good as I hoped it would be. Maybe better. Narrated by Claire Christie and Jeremy Arthur, I was (again) surprised at how much more I get from an audiobook than from print. I think it's because I read very fast. When I listen, the pace is that of human speech, perhaps slightly slower than normal conversation. I absorb more of the story listening than reading.

The dual narration works well. Aiden and Lara having their own voices and perspectives is appropriate. Usually I don't like multiple narrators, but I like them in this book.

Song of the Beast is Carol Berg's is a standalone book. I wish it were a series. I have it on good authority that another story (short story -- not an entire book) will be coming out based in the same world, though not featuring the same characters. I would prefer a book or two, but I will happily settle for whatever I can get.

If Carol Berg writes it, I will read it. I think she's brilliant and not nearly as appreciated as she deserves.

I came to love her dragons. There is a faint whiff of Pern to these dragons, except no dragonrider of Pern would so mistreat a dragon. I'm a sucker for dragons. Any dragon. And these are fabulous dragons.

I found the story's characters well-drawn and three-dimensional. Many relationships are between different species because, unlike her other books, not all characters are human. The relationships are logical extensions of the cultures from which they come. The slightly abrasive relationships between differing humanoids is fundamental.

The main character -- Aidan McAllister has been imprisoned and tortured. His beautiful voice has been silenced, his hands brutally destroyed. His music, which offered solace and hope to war-torn Elyria, is gone. The god in whom he never lost faith and nurtured him and his music since he was a child seems to have abandoned him.

Yet no one has yet told him what his crime was. He has no idea what earned him such punishment. He has emerged from prison a broken man, battered beyond endurance, wanting nothing more than peace and safety ... and the end of pain. Having lost himself, he must find his way back to himself, remember who he was because that's the key to what happened to him, what is happening to the world and the dragons. There is, of course, a beautiful woman.

Through it all, Aiden remains a gentle soul in a cruel world, a man to whom violence is abhorrent no matter what was done to him. He's neither vengeful nor mean. Music is his magic.

I wish there were a sequel to this book. I wanted to know what happened next, how this society evolves. The book left me with lots of questions. It isn't a cliff hanger -- not exactly -- but it didn't seem quite finished to me. There's plenty of room for more stories as this world realigns and reconstructs itself in the wake of a new understanding of dragons.

I liked the book so much I was sorry it ended. I never want any of Carol Berg's books to end.

Hunted: The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 6

For a 2,000-year-old Druid, Atticus O’Sullivan is a pretty fast runner. Good thing, because he’s being chased by not one but two goddesses of the hunt - Artemis and Diana - for messing with one of their own. Dodging their slings and arrows, Atticus, Granuaile, and his wolfhound Oberon are making a mad dash across modern-day Europe to seek help from a friend of the Tuatha Dé Danann. His usual magical option of shifting planes is blocked, so instead of playing hide-and-seek, the game plan is...run like hell.

Not content with having read the book, I also had to listen to it. Usually, if I like the book in one form, I like it equally well (or nearly so) in another. This, however, was not the case this time. I still love the book. But I have issues with the narration.

Hunted, by Kevin Hearne, is the sixth book in the Iron Druid Series. It's an action-packed run-for-your-life tour of Europe. Atticus and Granuaile should definitely have taken a cruise, or something relaxing. I'm pretty sure as honeymoon's go, this wasn't the best choice. Not that they had any choice in the matter.

Atticus O'Sullivan, the 2000-year-old last of the Roman Druids is running top speed across Europe. Romania, Germany, Holland, France ... then swimming the English channel to get to the woods by Windsor Castle. This is not exercise -- it's survival -- and as he (Granuaile and Oberon) race, they are fending off two angry, homicidal Olympian goddesses -- Artemis and Diana. And as experienced hunters, they are formidable adversaries.

Atticus messed with Bacchus and put him on a slow time island. Although it was self-defense, the Olympians aren't interested in why. They are just pissed off. Actually, more than that, watching the druids try to outrun the goddesses has become a sporting event for a wide range of deities.They don't seem so upset about Bacchus as they are eager to kill Atticus as well as Granuaile and Oberon. Freeing their crazy family member and co-deity is not their biggest issue.

The usual ways open to Druids of shifting to the safety of Tír na nÓg, are closed. Every tree and grove is guarded. The old ways are locked tight -- leaving them running long, hard, and fast in whatever physical forms and using whatever magic they can. They no longer have Morrigan's help, though they get some assistance from other immortals.

It does seem that just about everyone and everything is out to get them. Old enemies and new, vampires, gods and goddesses, dark elves, and some weird things who fit no category. Sea monsters. And Loki's on the loose bringing Ragnarök with him. The world is going to end. That's sort of Atticus' fault. Sort of. Sides are forming up for the big battle at the end of the world -- Ragnarök - the Apocalypse -- is it the end? Of everything? Could there be a new beginning? It's never happened before, so who's to know?

No one's banking on anything but death and destruction, so avoiding it as long as possible seems the sensible choice.

Sensible isn't part of the equation anymore. No one wants to negotiate, no one feels like chatting. It's kill or be killed. It's magic, weapons, a race to find a safe haven -- hide and seek along the way. No matter where they go, what they do, the Druids and all of their allies -- and enemies -- know the big finale is unavoidable. It will leave no one untouched. Meanwhile, the goal is to stay alive.

Atticus and Granuaile have almost no time in this book -- to my disappointment -- to develop the relationship they began after Granuaile was finally bound to Gaia and became a full Druid. There's no time now ... and given the perils, there may never be time. Not enough, anyway. A day, a few hours, grabbed here and there. This couple is not going to get that leisurely honeymoon, unless you count touring Europe in various forms - stag, horse, sea-lion, sea otter, falcon, mountain lion, wolfhound -- and of course, invisible. Most of the time, naked, a traditional form of battle dress for Celts, but not romantic.

Luke Daniels, the narrator is skilled and he does a fine job with Atticus and Granuaile ... and all other humanoids, but I really disliked his voicing of Oberon. It sounded like Bugs Bunny and was, to my mind, definitely unsuitable for the great wolfhound. I let it slide by me, but every time the voice came one, I got annoyed. I also didn't like his voicing of a bunch of the other secondary characters. Fine on the two Druids, but not fine on the others. Fortunately, there's more good narration than bad ... but be warned: if you don't like the idea of a dumb sounding Oberon with a lisp or cartoon deities from various pantheons, you won't like this audiobook.

This is the most high-speed book of the series to date. I had hoped for more character interaction and a bit less breathless and perpetual motion. If you like action -- and who doesn't? -- there's more than enough fighting, battling, scheming, running, swimming, dying, recovering -- but not much conversation. No down time. Not much relationship development. The book is a bridge to the next. Which is necessary. But you won't get resolution, not yet. Next book soon please!

It's beautifully written (as always). This is the first book in which Granuaile has her own voice. She's a full character now, co-equal with Atticus. Chapters alternate in the first person, her speaking, him speaking. At first, it jarred me a little, but then, I liked it. Nice to have both a male and female primary character in a fantasy novel. I can't remember if I've ever read a book in this genre where both sexes had equal roles. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it's all good.

I'm not going to give anything away. No spoilers, sorry.

If you are a fan of the series, you will like the book. It's probably not quite what you expect, but it's a critical link for what's coming.

It's Granuaile's coming of age -- and in its own way, also Atticus' coming of age. Although you would think he's seen it and done it all in his very long life, not so. He hasn't had a lot of human friends, much less lovers. There's a lot of new stuff for him to work his way through. Having a real relationship with a human woman requires relearning old habits. Like any relationship, come to think of it.

There are a lot of plot twists. Not all endings are happy. There are victories and temporary wins. Holding actions. I'm not sure there are solid victories to be had as the world draws ever closer to Ragnarök. It's all about survival, treachery and slippery alliances. The fate of the world hangs on a razor's edge. See you next book!

If you have not read the previous books, don't start with this one. There is a lot of history and the characters have all been built through the entire series. They won't make sense without the earlier books.

The book is also available in paperback and on Kindle. And, obviously, as a download from Audible.com. This is the first of the audio versions I've read. I don't know that I will try another. I think I'll stick with printed words for this series.

Imperial Woman: The Story of the Last Empress of China

The story of Tzu Hsi is the story of the last empress in China. In this audiobook, Pearl S. Buck recreates the life of one of the most intriguing rules during a time of intense turbulence. Tzu Hsi was born into one of the lowly ranks of the Imperial dynasty. According to custom, she moved to the Forbidden City at the age of 17 to become one of hundreds of concubines. But her singular beauty and powers of manipulation quickly moved her into the position of Second Consort.

This is the story of Tzu Hsi, a woman who rose from obscurity to rule first as regent to her son, the boy emperor, then ultimately as the last Empress of China from 1861 to 1908. Her death heralded the end of the old China. The empire collapsed only three years after her death, in 1911.

First chosen as one of many concubines to the young emperor – no more than a child himself – she manipulates herself into position as his favorite, cultivates his favor until he depends on her completely. Still in love with her childhood sweetheart, a single night of love produces a son, the next emperor.

Intelligent, highly (self) educated Tzu Hsi makes herself essential to her debauched, physically weakened, opium-addicted husband. His early death leaves her regent to her son. She is forced to preside over the destruction of Chinese culture. Her fight against white imperialism is hopeless. As the representative of the last Dynasty, she tries to find her way while the China she has known is assaulted by wave after wave of western imperialist pirates under the guise of missionaries, traders, and ambassadors.

Once the rape of China begins, she is powerless to stop it. Even the rare victory is no more than a holding action. Despite all evidence, she cannot believe China can lose to these invaders and she never loses her unyielding belief in the superiority of Chinese culture … the ultimate irony given the unyielding belief of the Western powers of their superiority. The unstoppable force meets the immoveable object and the result is – as might be expected – tragic.

In a way, she was more right than she knew. The old China collapsed but from its ashes, the new China has gained more power than the old ever had.

There are a number of ways to read this book. It’s a brilliant, detailed picture of a vanished civilization … beautiful and to modern minds, bizarre. Certainly it’s the story of Tzu Hsi, her life, her deeply flawed, complex personality. Her bad decisions based on the logic of a world already gone where the rules no longer applied.

You can also read Imperial Woman as a much larger story, how the western nations took the oldest culture on earth and destroyed it so we could plunder it for opium.

How we destroyed thousands of years of art and treasures so each country from the west — who had no right to any of China — treated the Chinese people as if they were the barbarians because they did not want to become just like us.

The European powers with the help of the United States transformed China into a monster. Then we have the gall to complain we don’t like the way it turned out. China would never have become what it is today or taken the path it did without the brutality and devastation wrought by European imperialism. And of course, look what opium and all that has followed in its wake has done to improve our society? Karma is a nasty bitch.

Written in 1956, the story is probably more relevant today, 30 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union and subsequent to the transformation of Communist China into the world’s biggest, baddest economic superpower. On many levels, for a lot of different reasons, it serves us right. We destroyed China. Now, in its own way, China is destroying us. One good turn deserves another.

I read Imperial Woman a few years after it first came out. I was in my early teens and it was just a story. An interesting, even fascinating story, but at the time, it meant no more than that.

Listening to it today had a lot more impact. Not only has my perspective, knowledge and interest in China’s extraordinary history expanded a huge amount, but the world has changed in way that were unthinkable when I read the book in 1960.

Written at the peak of the Communist witch hunts in the U.S. and the hottest part of the Cold War, we live in an entirely different world today. If you have knowledge of history, a sense of destiny and fundamental belief in Karma, you will find Imperial Woman contains many layers of meaning. It’s elegantly written, not even slightly dated.

Imperial Woman is available on Audible.com. Beautifully narrated, it's a perfect balance with enough feeling to make the story live, but not so overdone that it distracts from the telling. That's the best kind of narration.

As for the story, it's a classic, even more meaningtul today then when it was first published.

Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas

Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. Life couldn’t be better…until Andrew begins to pick up on the facts that (1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces; (2) the ship’s captain, its chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations; and (3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.

The story within a story (or play within a play), what is real versus what's fiction is not a new or original concept, no matter how many readers seem to think it is. Shakespeare used it and as Scalzi himself bears witness, there have been a lot of movies, books, plays and so on that have used one or another variations on this theme. I don't have a problem with that. In fact, I like his wililingness to explore a classic theme and was interested to see where he was going with it. I also appreciated his acknowledgments of others who have used some version of this story.

I really enjoyed the first part of the book, the interaction of characters with reality/unreality. I wasn't bothered by "he said/she said" and didn't much notice it. What I did notice by the end of the first coda as he was moving into the next ending? variation? was I was getting bored.

It really was like a piece of classical music that has one coda too many,

I liked the first coda well enough. His exploration of the mind of a writer in the throes of writer's block was interesting, although a bit heavy-handed. By the final coda, I was antsy and felt as if I had slipped back in time to find myself in a college writing class .. not a good thing.

I listened through to the end, though I drifted a bit toward at the finish as the book pounded relentllessly to its conclusion.

Less would have been more. It was a good idea, a clever concept. It had good narration. But it needed more plot. It felt like a movie that runs out of script 20 minutes before it runs out of film, too thin a tale to support its own length. I've read lots worse ... but Scalzi has written much better.

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